March 20 what have you done to prep today
Printed From: Avian Flu Talk
Category: Pandemic Prepping Forums
Forum Name: General Prepping Tips
Forum Description: (Home and family preparedness)
URL: http://www.avianflutalk.com/forum_posts.asp?TID=4031
Printed Date: April 27 2024 at 9:58am
Topic: March 20 what have you done to prep today
Posted By: Guests
Subject: March 20 what have you done to prep today
Date Posted: March 20 2006 at 5:47am
| Happy first day of Spring everyone....... |
Replies:
Posted By: libbyalex
Date Posted: March 20 2006 at 6:19am
| Good morning, Muskrat. I'm going to try to organize a few things today. I keep tripping over stuff we'vee brought in from the store.... |
Posted By: striper
Date Posted: March 20 2006 at 7:52am
| I am still looking for a solar panel to power up the Xantrex Xpower 1500 I bought. Ordered some 3M 9211 masks over the weekend. |
Posted By: Tulip
Date Posted: March 20 2006 at 8:18am
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Spare propane tank, 20 more N95 masks, gallon of Drano and 10 jars of Ragu. I must also take the time to organize this week.
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Posted By: Guests
Date Posted: March 20 2006 at 9:32am
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Good morning..Libby me also..I got all the canned goods dated and stored on the new shelf downstairs...I think I have enough chicken noodle soup booked the kids for thier phsyicals(and I will get more repeats for scripts and get some spares in hopefully)..and will be booking their dentals...and booked puppy for her rabies vaccine... |
Posted By: omega
Date Posted: March 20 2006 at 9:33am
This may not amuse you, but I am ROFL, as I misread your posting, the first time I thought it said you bought 10 ... y e a r s ... worth of Ragu. LOL. Incidentally, last night somewhere online I read that canned spaghetti sauce doesn't last as long as JARS of sauce, due to the acidity of the tomatos interacting with the metal of the cans. I spose that seems 'obvious,' but it's not anything I ever thought about before. |
Tulip wrote:Posted By: Tulip
Date Posted: March 20 2006 at 9:42am
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Hi Omega, I have heard that also, but I bought the Ragu because I know that my kids eat it. And it was a great price at 1.00 a jar. Wanted more they have a 10 jar limit.
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Posted By: Guests
Date Posted: March 20 2006 at 9:45am
lol..Tulip that is when I would eighter take the kids with me or I take the limit out to my car turn around go back in and go through another cashier ..hey I like my sales...
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Posted By: Daydreamer
Date Posted: March 20 2006 at 12:17pm
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That's funny muskrat, I thought I was the only one who did things like that. Hubby went to town for me today so I didn't have to do. He bought the rest of the lumber needed to finish my shelves for my preps. He also picked up some more butter that was on sale. We put that in the freezer. I am working on my lists of what I need to purchase when I get my income taxes back, hopefully soon. I am also looking at what we currently have in stock and where the holes are in my preps. ------------- Don't put off tomorrow what you can PREP today |
Posted By: bruss01
Date Posted: March 20 2006 at 12:57pm
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Built shelves for the preps we are accumulating on the living room floor. Cleaned out the garage so it is no longer a Major Medical Claim looking for a victim. We had preps there but in an emergency we COULD NOT HAVE GOTTEN TO THEM in a safe and timely manner. Ohhhh my back.... We have Ragu but it occured to me that just the two of us couldn't eat a whole jar in one sitting. No refrigeration = 50% WASTE, meaning the price just doubled. I want my wife to make her famous spaghetti sauce, which uses the Ragu as a base, in a huge batch. Then I will re-can it into pint jars, which between the two of us can be finished off in one sitting. I'll need a pressure canner and some pint jars for that. Guess what goes on next month's prep list? |
Posted By: omega
Date Posted: March 20 2006 at 1:20pm
Surely, something SO acidic as Ragu Spaghetti Sauce can sit out overnight with absolutely NO danger --- I can't imagine that something like that would go bad so quickly. Please enlighten me, if you would..... |
Posted By: bruss01
Date Posted: March 20 2006 at 1:38pm
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Omega - Wife is a Virgo, won't trust anything that has set out... food poisoning is not something to be gambled with in a pandemic. I'll agree that the risk isn't a sure thing, but it would be a gamble, one I would like to avoid. It gets hot here in the summer and things can go bad with amazing rapidity in 100 degree heat. |
Posted By: iamclose
Date Posted: March 20 2006 at 3:00pm
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I added the following to my preps today: 4 shampoos, 4 conditioners, 1 razor, 1 Clorox Anywhere, 5 bags of candy, 2 dish washing detergent, 4 body wash, 24 double rolls of TP. I also filled 10 - 2 liter bottles with water. |
Posted By: omega
Date Posted: March 20 2006 at 3:14pm
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Read one article about how EASY it is to dehydrate foods in the microware, and how QUICK the whole job is, and found out that this is so.
But this afternoon when I checked google for more articles about microwave drying of foods, many commentators state it CAN'T be done, (huh??) or else that you'll ruin the essential oils. Glad I didn't research this before simply trying it out. Simply chopped up a few green ends of green onions, tossed them on a plate, NUKED for two minutes, removed & stirred around, NUKED for three minutes, removed & stirred around, and then NUKED to a crisp for four more minutes. I'm gonna buy some fresh spinach next time I go to the store and see how that dries up in the microwave -- which is taking MINUTES, as opposed to sun-drying for days in the heat of summer, or oven drying for at the very least many many hours, usually overnight. I have NO idea why there are microwave dehydration kits for sale IF it "ruins" foods -- I'm not sure if the authors I read really have any PRACTICAL familiarity with this, or were simply hypothesizing without any firsthand experience. I just read on "Latest News" that the Red Cross says that Americans should prepare for a length from four DAYS to four WEEKS ----- I am very irritated with this, there is a BIG diff between four DAYS and four WEEKS. |
Posted By: Amethyst
Date Posted: March 20 2006 at 4:27pm
| Haven't done anything today because I have the regular flu, unless you count trying the elderberry stuff. |
Posted By: Penham
Date Posted: March 20 2006 at 5:15pm
| I bought a silver car sunshade and some black paint (to try out the solar cooker on http://www.solarcooking.org - www.solarcooking.org supposedly can bake bread and cook other items, boil and pastuerize water), also got a car battery charger, 3 cases of individual bottles of water, 1 gallon of water, some more cans of chili, more kitty litter. Also found alot of clothing marked down at KMart to 1.50-2.00 for winter shirts and fleece, jacket 5.00, which is not prepping but can use them for Christmas gifts for my 2 daughters and it was exciting finding stuff for so cheap. Also went to the doctor to get my pneumonia vaccine and couldn't get it because dr. said I sounded congested in the head and I had taken ibuprofen which would have masked a temp if I was sick, he said if I wasn't really sick by the end of the week he would give it to me then, just didn't want to give it in case I was coming down with something. Did get albuterol inhalation medication for breathing machine, another inhaler (I think I have 6 now), antihistamine and more ibuprofen. |
Posted By: Ironstone
Date Posted: March 20 2006 at 5:18pm
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Hamburger rocks (takes a long time) and repackaging. The repackaging is important because if this thing goes pandemic it will mean less garbage and no telltale empty boxes in my garbage (if there is garbage pick up). I can also just toss the plastic bag containers or reuse them for other things. ------------- Ironstone |
Posted By: Amethyst
Date Posted: March 20 2006 at 5:38pm
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Some herbal meds I ordered came today. Also, a cookbook I ordered for cooking without electricity and a survival guide came. At least I have reading material.
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Posted By: Mississipp Mama
Date Posted: March 20 2006 at 6:27pm
| I did a lot of organizing today. I'm tired of tripping over stuff. I'm having a new shed built this week,so I can some stuff out the house until I get ready for a garage sale. I will use this extra space for preps. I checked into buying a used outdoor porta pottie. Stored 10 pounds of oatmeal 56 individual packets of grits. Recieved my order of 10lbs. of red clover tea, 5lbs. of brewers yeast, and 10 pounds of raisin granola fruit and nut mix. Called to day to see how much a manual well would cost to install. Don't won't to be dependent on the water system if i can help it. Even if i get the well done, i will still store water in 55 gal. drums. bought 3 -15 gal. plastic drums and 6-35 gal. drumbs. The 55 gal drumbs will come this week. I have gotten these drums for a very reasonable price. A guy in my area sells them. Otherwise it would be to expensive to buy all of these. |
Posted By: Amethyst
Date Posted: March 20 2006 at 6:29pm
| I ordered a single-burner sterno stove tonight. Figured that I would probably get sick of eating cold stuff. Can you use those indoors, or do you have to use them outdoors? |
Posted By: Thordawggy
Date Posted: March 20 2006 at 8:07pm
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Just got 10 Lipton rice and noodle mixes and flavored tomato sauce (chunky tomatos with garlic, green peppers and olive oil and some mexican ones with different spices and vegs added). Two jars of peanut butter. Two large jars of powdered chicken and beef bullion/soup stocks. I need to get - a couple of large bottles of TUMS, Pepto Bismol, Correctol, and Mylanta :-) Especially the TUMS ;-) I have lots of stuff but I really wanted to get a 50 pound bag of beans and one of rice. However, I keep thinking about fuel. I think that I am going to have to pay the price for canned beans. Lots of them. Will still get the rice.
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Posted By: Fruit Loop
Date Posted: March 20 2006 at 8:52pm
| This is going to sound REALLY morbid so I apologize if it creeps anyone out. The corners office will probably be overwhelmed and if there are mass amounts of people dying, they will be left for an unknown period of time before they can be taken to the appropriate place. I've placed an order online today for 4 postmordem bags-bodybags- one for each of us- about $9.00 each. Should that awful conclusion happen, I don't want to have to spend a lot of time fiddling with plastic and duct tape on my deceased loved one. I want to zip him or her up and place far away from the house and then I'd try to bury if I could. Again, I am sorry about the topic but that is what I did today! |
Posted By: fritz
Date Posted: March 20 2006 at 9:32pm
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I'm sorry Fruit Loop, but I just have to ask....how is the last person getting themselves into the bag and then zipping it up?? I know you are being very thorough with your planning but the thought of that kinda struck me funny. I guess I am only prepping to live. If I don't I guess that's the neighbor's problem. In all seriousness, it has been my personal experience that no matter what you think now....you cannot plan for the death of a close loved one like that. It just aint that neat and easy. On the other hand, maybe I'll look for some nice sheets on sale. (Sorry, I guess I must be over-tired. I think I'll go to bed now. g'night) ------------- "I am only one; but still I am one, I cannot do everything, but still I can do something. I will not refuse to do the something I can do." -- Hellen Keller |
( Posted By: fritz
Date Posted: March 20 2006 at 9:56pm
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Oh yea, I forgot to report what I acquired today at K-mart. 1 baby pool to collect rain water in, 1 large round container to do laundry in, looked for bruss's pool shock but they didn't have any w/o stabilizers, some seeds and little starter kits, water proof matches, 2 large see through containers to hold vacume sealed rice, corn muffin & pancake mix and 2 more sleeping pillows. My "friend" the UPS guy also delivered my 2 cases of whole powdered eggs from Honeyville Grain! Yea! I also ordered a 25# bag of sm. white navy beans from them and they weren't in there so I have to call them and find out what happened to my beans tomarrow. Bummer! ------------- "I am only one; but still I am one, I cannot do everything, but still I can do something. I will not refuse to do the something I can do." -- Hellen Keller |
Well now it's really good night but I hope I don't toss and turn obsessing over my missing beans all night.(lol) Posted By: Daydreamer
Date Posted: March 20 2006 at 10:01pm
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Well, I've been spending most of the evening printing off lists and instructions from this board so that I can put them all in a binder to keep. I had to have hubby get another ink cartridge when he went to town today. I was about out. Hubby finished the shelves so we can get more organized now. I will probably start on that tomorrow. ------------- Don't put off tomorrow what you can PREP today |
Posted By: bruss01
Date Posted: March 21 2006 at 6:38am
| Fritz - try a pool supply store, they should have calcium hypochlorite in 1 lb bags. |
Posted By: Guests
Date Posted: March 21 2006 at 6:55am
| Hey fritz! I thought of that too- I guess whoever finds me can deal with it- I'll put the bag next to me if I feel like I am headed in that direction. Better yet. I'll just climb inside of it before hand. I FULLY plan on living through this thing. Just trying to be prepared physically and mentally for ALL senarios! |
Posted By: Guests
Date Posted: March 21 2006 at 7:36am
| They are safe to use indoors. But, Sterno won't get hot enough to cook, great for heating things. |
Posted By: Amethyst
Date Posted: March 21 2006 at 7:40am
Yeah, I'm just planning on using them to heat up cans of soup or maybe boiling water for tea, or possibly emergency heat in the winter if there's a power outtage. |
Posted By: Guests
Date Posted: March 21 2006 at 7:41am
| Finally got my delivery of dehydrated meat and fruits from http://www.beprepared.com - www.beprepared.com . They were pretty slow, took about 4 weeks. Has anybody ever cooked with dehydrated meats? what is the texture and flavor like? Frankly, not looking forward to having to use it, but it's better than nothing. |
Posted By: omega
Date Posted: March 21 2006 at 9:33am
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If you don't like the dehydrated meat, I understand that there are canned meats available from, I think it was: internet-grocer.com (or was it dot-NET?)
It's the same vendor where people have ordered canned butter and canned cheese from - I read about it here in this forum in early postings about dairy foods. The testimonials on the website are very persuasive, so although I don't need such products, I might order some for the fussy eaters in the household. Haven't decided yet. |
Posted By: omega
Date Posted: March 21 2006 at 9:38am
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My preps today include purchasing several bags of potting soil, veggie fertilizers, some nice easy-2-care for pots for planting salad greens INDOORS ..... so I'll also be picking up seeds.
I want them on hand just in case we have an unexpected quarantine - then it will be easy to start some greens, in the sterile lightweight potting "soil" medium. Might as well stop by a food coop, too, and purchase bulk seeds for sprouting - the alfalfa seeds, fenugreek, lentils, chickpeas, unsalted sunflower seeds, etc. Might as well see, too, if any place around here has sprouting kits -- faster than messing around with screen or cheesecloth and glass bottles. Getting old and lazy, LOL. |
Posted By: purplepanther
Date Posted: March 21 2006 at 10:00am
| Femvet, I have ordered things from them all the time. The food I have gotten from them is good like potato pearls with butter, my nieces and nephew like the hashbrowns they have. I have order some of the fruits and the meats .I haven't tried them yet. My brother said the powder milk isn't bad either suppose to taste like fresh milk. The reason it may took awhile because alot of people may be ordering from them If anyone wants wheat they have wheat too. The name is Emergency Essentials and you can request a catalog from them |
Posted By: Guests
Date Posted: March 21 2006 at 12:11pm
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Femvet
We used to get dried meat for our dog. The farting that ensued was horrendous!
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Posted By: willow41
Date Posted: March 21 2006 at 4:30pm
| got my pneumonia vaccine today. hubby gets his tomorrow and kids get theirs at their pediatricians on tuesday. ordered more contacts and hubby and i each got a pair of glasses. picked up three months worth of my prescriptions to store. finally got the rest of the over-the-counter meds that we needed. now we just need to get to the dentist office and get our teeth cleaned and checked out. |
Posted By: Guests
Date Posted: March 21 2006 at 4:57pm
| Willow - Good for you!! We've done the same. Wife & I both have our shots, stocked up on contacts & glasses. I got a dental exam and cleaning today, going back tomorrow to have 1 cavity filled and a cracked filling replaced. |
Posted By: bruss01
Date Posted: March 21 2006 at 7:40pm
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PS - I tried boiling water with sterno. It got steaming hot but never boiled. Hot enough to make instant tea, cocoa or coffee, but not hot enough to boil something. If you're at high altitude you can probably get a boil going, but here at sea-level plus change, a good steam is all you'll get from sterno.
I still have some on hand, just in case...
 |
Posted By: libbyalex
Date Posted: March 21 2006 at 7:46pm
| Stopped by the grocery in between meetings today and got some more beans, oil, and Pediasure..... Now to organize all this stuff. -- Libby |
Posted By: Mississipp Mama
Date Posted: March 21 2006 at 10:24pm
| Hey guys with all the beans we are storing let's not forget the beano This helps with gas. i ordered a few days ago from a prepardness website by phone. I asked was many people ordering stuff for the bird flu. The lady replied heavens yes, the phone rings all day long. The average order she said was between $600-1000 dollars. So I think whatever we need that has to be ordered should be done as soon as we can. Things seems to be heating up out there. |
Posted By: KatDoe67
Date Posted: March 22 2006 at 5:08am
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I got my fancyheat chafing fuel to boil, but not whistle. The steam was POURING out of the whistle hole and I could hear the rolling boil, but was wasting too much water and fuel to see if it would actually whistle if left a minute or two longer. It took 45 minutes.
The trick is to use a SMALL and COVERED pan that heats the WATER, more than the pan itself. I need to learn more about pans, I think. Boiling just 2 1/2 cups water for these recipes http://www.freewebs.com/freezerbagcooking/index.htm - http://www.freewebs.com/freezerbagcooking/index.htm
will allow you to actually cook with chafing pot fuel. It will take about 45 minutes to get the water hot enough, and then put it in a thermos instead of a bag to conserve the heat, or many of these recipes could be cooked as the water heats, like the potato soup.
The pot and amount of water are key to reaching a boil, and patience. Also how close your flame is to the pan. Too far away or too close are both bad.
I live a 5 minute walk from the ocean...So I guess I'm at sea level :-0 Mostly uphill, but I can't be too high :-)
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Posted By: Guests
Date Posted: March 22 2006 at 7:47am
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question is the best way to cook when there is loss of elect and you cannot go outdoors to use your outdoor grill a chafing dish and sterno or a thermos?????? |
Posted By: Guests
Date Posted: March 22 2006 at 8:37am
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Posted By: Guests
Date Posted: March 22 2006 at 8:43am
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Posted By: Amethyst
Date Posted: March 22 2006 at 8:50am
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LOL on the Beano. But that is a very practical idea. And if the bird flu is pandemic, we won't be able to open our windows for fresh air.
Can anyone recommend an alternative to Sterno that'll fit in those folding stoves that's safe to store indoors?
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Posted By: Guests
Date Posted: March 22 2006 at 2:44pm
| Amethyst, what is your current living situation? Remember, BF can only travle thru the air if somebody is coughing or sneezing within about 30' from you. Please don't stop getting fresh air, you could die from asphyxiation!!! |
Posted By: Fruit Loop
Date Posted: March 22 2006 at 3:13pm
JUST got back from buying Beano....PHEW! That was a close one. Thanks for the heads up!! 
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Posted By: Guests
Date Posted: March 22 2006 at 3:21pm
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We're doing pet care this and next week. Yoda had two teeth removed, his ears cleaned (has had a life-long problem with ear-mites). Next, we have two males which are getting neutered.
My husband is taking care of his dental needs now and then it's me. God help me!! I am absolutely terrified of dentists, but can't put it off any more now. Definitely don't want to have a dental emergency, especially if it could have been avoided.
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Posted By: Amethyst
Date Posted: March 22 2006 at 4:18pm
Um, I don't normally leave my windows wide open, and I haven't died from asphyxiation yet.
 I live in an apartment by myself.
As for preparedness, I marked all my cans with the dates and re-organized them. Still have a dozen '06 cans left, but most don't expire until fall. |
Posted By: Guests
Date Posted: March 22 2006 at 4:43pm
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Fruit Loop you have me laughing all the time!!! I mean it, tears rolling, wake up the dog out loud laughing!! I can't tell you how glad I am that you are here. Anyway, I mentioned the Beano thing like a month or so ago and no one paid any attention to me. I'm starting to get a complex here and I'm paranoid enough as it is. Anyway, there were actually 2 responses to the flatulance issue that I was concerned about. One was from Thomas Angel (I think) and he said to put a carrot in the water when cooking your beans. And the other was from Katdoe(I think) but I dont remember what she said to do. Maybe I will pm her. It was a while ago and I'm sure I don't remember which thread it was on. She has a lot of info on the cooking stuff and a lot of stuff in general. TTFN :>}
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Posted By: fritz
Date Posted: March 22 2006 at 4:46pm
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That was me, fritz, who just posted above. I guess since I'm using a different computer it put me in as guest, I dunno?? ------------- "I am only one; but still I am one, I cannot do everything, but still I can do something. I will not refuse to do the something I can do." -- Hellen Keller |
Posted By: asatrape
Date Posted: March 22 2006 at 4:47pm
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I got three.... yes three... boxes of cheap wine. I'd love to buy
the good stuff, but can't afford a years worth of that so will have to
aquire a taste for this. I also got some water and tylenol. I figure it'll take me a while to get used to bad wine hangovers, so I need to be prepared for a headache and dehydration. This thing better blow through quick! |
Posted By: omega
Date Posted: March 22 2006 at 5:35pm
I can share a few pointers. FIRST, always, always, always soak the beans in water BEFORE cooking, this makes a huge difference in ease of digestibility. Secondly, after the beans have soaked for at least an hour, or even overnight, and thus the quantity has at least doubled in size, what you want to do is boil their cooking water BEFORE you put them in the water to cook. When the water is boiling, then you slowly, slowly, slowly pour the beans into the boiling water -- do this slow enough so that the water continues to boil. NOW -- get another pan and fill with the same amount of water to boil. When this second pot is at a rolling boil, then you take the simmering pot of beans and drain off the water down the sink. Then IMMEDIATELY put the beans into the second pot of boiling water -- the trick here is to keep the temperature of the beans constant. Then you simply simmer the beans slowly until done. SOME individuals simply cannot digest beans, because they have difficulties with purine metabolism, both meat & vegetable purines - so these people will always have discomfort with a large legume-based diet. People who have gout have to follow low-purine diets, but the latest research has shown that they have NO problem with veggie purines, so can eat beans & spinach, but NOT yeasts, mushrooms, algae, meat, fish. SOME, but by no means all, SOME people with fibromyalgia have difficulty with purines and must stick to a lacto-ovo vegetarian diet without beans/legumes. |
Posted By: Zanna
Date Posted: March 22 2006 at 5:37pm
I found the fondue pot! Three cheers for pre-packaged cheese and accessories!  I also got six more boxes of Thin Mint Girl Scout Cookies (made with real Girl Scouts).
And yes, Bruss, I'll make a mondo pot of sauce for you to "put up" in pint jars.
Omega - thanks for the bean cooking tips. I tried to make my grandmother's recipe for Boston Baked Beans about 15 years ago, but I did something wrong and I’m still not sure what. I soaked them overnight then made up the recipe and put it in the crock-pot for the required time. I ended up with little rocks instead of beans! I now have all of my grandmother’s cookbooks, so I want to try again. It starts with a ham bone and strips of leftover ham… I think it would be a great thing to can, as is my spaghetti sauce. Z~
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Posted By: Guests
Date Posted: March 22 2006 at 6:23pm
I bought a motorcycle........to get the hell out of dodge if needed. (well that was my excuse anyway) I guess it is also my anti-anxiety therapy. 
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Posted By: Guests
Date Posted: March 22 2006 at 7:07pm
| I just bought 2 55 gallon drums today and I thought they were kind of expensive at 69.00 each. Where are you getting yours? I live in Michigan and I think these big drums are the way to go if you can. I want to get several more. Also, the rep said I don't have to chlorinate the water now, just put in 1/4 cup to the entire barrel and wait an hour just before tapping it open. What do you think? |
Posted By: omega
Date Posted: March 22 2006 at 7:57pm
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Do NOT ever put salt or ham or smoked hamhocks or even onions into your cooking beans, UNTIL they begin to soften.
There may be OTHER ingredients that you do NOT ever put in at the beginning, either, but I don't recall exactly what they are. I simply keep all the additional ingredients SEPARATE, in the fridge until it is safe to add them in without the legumes becoming tough little indigestible bullets. I'd even wait to add the molasses & sugar, etc. You simply wait until the bean is soft, and then add all the flavoring and any other veggies, and continue cooking until the consistency of soup/stew or baked beans is how you like it. ALSO, it is possible that the time you tried your grandmother's recipe that you simply had a "bad" batch of beans, they may have been too old. |
Posted By: slcmom
Date Posted: March 22 2006 at 9:40pm
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"Anyway, there were actually 2 responses to the flatulance issue that I was concerned about. One was from Thomas Angel (I think) and he said to put a carrot in the water when cooking your beans. And the other was from Katdoe(I think) but I dont remember what she said to do. Maybe I will pm her. It was a while ago and I'm sure I don't remember which thread it was on. She has a lot of info on the cooking stuff and a lot of stuff in general. TTFN :>}"
Kat said to add a tsp of baking soda to the cooking water.
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Posted By: Guests
Date Posted: March 22 2006 at 9:46pm
| Well.e got another 150 lbs of dry cat food, and two more cases of wet. Still need a lot more litter! At least the babies will eat. I figure if food distribution really does get interrupted, once it starts again, the priority will be on human food, who knows how long it will be before anything else comes in. |
Posted By: HOPEFLOATS
Date Posted: March 22 2006 at 11:43pm
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Hi I am new here. Joined today did a lot of reading here last night. Today I took the few dollars left and purchased15 lbs of rice
3 cans of tuna
aluminum foil
baggies (just sandwich size)
5lb of flour
2 containers of salt
70 paper plates
6 cans tomato soup
2 cream of mushroom
box of spaghetti
Not much at the moment but considering where I was sitting last night it is an improvement. I was barely aware of this flu until a family member sent me an email on it. I have a family of 6 so lots of preps to get done. I will do more next Wednesday and again on Friday. We normally only have a weeks worth of food here give or take a couple of meals. Same for personal hygiene etc.
So the email and this site has been a wake up call for my husband and I. I think he is still a little skeptical but even if it is best case scenario then we will be prepared for any other event that may come along. Considering we have 4 kids to care for you would think we would have been better stocked before now. Will take some creativity and revamping of our priorities but this is now closer to the top of my list.
OH and I have 3 2-litter bottles which I am on my way to clean and will have 2 more by tomorrow. (Its a start right) Also have a big water jug we use while camping.
We have 2 campstoves and lots of camping equipment as it is a much loved activity of our family. Will need to get some more fuel for the stoves.
I am working on crocheting some more blankets that we could all use to wrap ourselves in for extra warmth and I am on the hunt for more blankets and sheets. We are also a homeschooling family so will work on getting more materials in here for the kids. There is a book sale next week at the library so will go and see what I can find there.
Purchased 60 National Geographic last month and the kids are loving those.
I am rather scattered at the moment as far as highest on the priority list but hope to have that pulled together before next weeks shopping trips.
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Posted By: Guests
Date Posted: March 23 2006 at 3:37am
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Today March 23....Yesterday i booked the children for physicals they go in the second week in April;and have to book thier dentals also
and today i will be starting what i call my final house preps..spring cleaning but earlier...it is time to wash the curtains...all the heavy winter blankets, organize the hats and gloves...wash all the bathroom mats again(lol)..darn pup...and the doiles...the shower curtain..anything that i really do not want to have to do should the power go down ...
I am still waiting for income taxs to finish up some much needed preps...but I am going to start with alot of the indoor house things today...
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Posted By: KatDoe67
Date Posted: March 23 2006 at 4:56am
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Hopefloats,
We should all have more than a weeks food all the time, never mind bird flu. Just focus with hubby that this is a wakeup call about your GENERAL lack of preparedness. Plan a nice long camping trip and convince hubby as much as possible that you are prepping for the trip. Run off GENERAL preparedness lists from the goverment that stress GENERAL preparedness.
Then behind hubbies back take care of the BF stuff :-)
http://www.freecycle.org/ -
As for homeschooling, sign up for the freecycle list for your area http://www.freecycle.org/ - http://www.freecycle.org/ Ask for old encyclopedias. Several broken, but overlapping sets is better than a new complete set. Even take the really crappy ones and store on a different bookcase and let the kids use the pictures to illustrate their journals. You can teach a LOT using just encyclopedias! My now 17 year old used them as his main science and social studies texts for years. He insisted textbooks were inaccurate and biased and refused to use them:-)
Welcome to the site :-) BF or no BF, this is a good site to just learn LOTS of good info in GENERAL :-)
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Posted By: libbyalex
Date Posted: March 23 2006 at 7:22am
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Hopefloats -- check out the threads on budget preparations. I think there's a lot of useful stuff in it. And, I am a firm believer in thrift stores, if you have any near you. I get the next size clothing for my 3 yr old there and they often have book sections too. Holler if I can help. And welcome! You've landed in the right place. -- Libby
PS here's a link to a thread called "Zero to Prepped in 4 weeks"
http://avianflutalk.com/forum_posts.asp?TID=3009 - http://avianflutalk.com/forum_posts.asp?TID=3009
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Posted By: libbyalex
Date Posted: March 23 2006 at 7:23am
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RE Budget preps --
Here's a link on using coupons:
http://avianflutalk.com/forum_posts.asp?TID=4098 - http://avianflutalk.com/forum_posts.asp?TID=4098
And, in case you haven't seen it yet, here's one for prepping on a budget:
http://avianflutalk.com/forum_posts.asp?TID=979 - http://avianflutalk.com/forum_posts.asp?TID=979
Good luck!
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Posted By: Daydreamer
Date Posted: March 23 2006 at 7:44am
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I'm heading out to the store in a few minutes. I've looked at the loss leaders for my area and I have my list all made out. I will post what I picked up later on today. I'm also planning a big prepping trip for tomorrow probably to Sams Club. ------------- Don't put off tomorrow what you can PREP today |
Posted By: Guests
Date Posted: March 23 2006 at 9:49am
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Hopefloats, welcome aboard. If you have any of the dollar stores in your area (Dollar Tree, $.99 or $1 store), make sure you check them out. Cleaning products, paper plates & plastic flatware. Good prices on some of the staples, spaghetti sauces, canned fruits & vegetables, ramen etc. Also check your coupons for your area stores and rather than running around, take them all to Walmart, they will price match and save you time and gas.
Since you are just starting: Write down what you purchase NOW, so you don't have to do an inventory later to figure out your gaps in your storage. Here are a couple of good sites with grocery lists to get you going:
http://www.planforflu.com/survival_grocery_list - www.planforflu.com/survival_grocery_list
http://www.lacetoleather.com/hom.html - www.lacetoleather.com/hom.html
Please, only buy what you eat and eat what you buy!!
Don't hesitate to ask any questions.
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Posted By: Guests
Date Posted: March 23 2006 at 10:11am
| Hi also there are restaurant supply stores in my area good prices but everything is in bulk. -K |
Posted By: HOPEFLOATS
Date Posted: March 23 2006 at 10:24am
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Thanks everyone! I will continue reading post on the site and doing other research. We have an Aldis here and a sav a lot about 35 minutes away. I will be able to get a lot more prep done next week and will be my main focus until I feel we are at a more comfortable level with everything.
I love thrift stores. I have plenty of clothes for the youngest as we have a lot of hand me downs from her sisters stored in tubs but will need to work on larger clothing for the other 3.
Added 2 more 2-litter bottles today though.
Thanks for all the wonderful information here!
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Posted By: Daydreamer
Date Posted: March 23 2006 at 2:29pm
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I'm back from the store and I finally got all my preps dated and put away. I inventoried them as I went along. Here's what I picked up.
2 jars peanut butter, 10 cans pork n beans on sale for .18 each, 2 cans Treet, 2 cans beef stew, 6 Hamburger Helper, 2 jars instant tea, 3 boxes Lipton cold brew tea, 8 pounds of iodized salt, 13 pounds instant potato flakes, 10 pounds just add water pancake mix, 4 containers of Gatorade powder, several drink mixes, jello, 10 cans of assorted fruits.
------------- Don't put off tomorrow what you can PREP today |
Posted By: Penham
Date Posted: March 23 2006 at 2:58pm
| I got my pneumococcal vaccine. |
Posted By: Amethyst
Date Posted: March 24 2006 at 5:15am
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Ordered tea tree and lavender essential oils. I've read they can be used medicinally.
I might practice trying to heat up water with my sterno stove this weekend. It came in the mail yesterday.
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Posted By: HOPEFLOATS
Date Posted: March 24 2006 at 5:21am
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I am working on getting my list of needed supplies in order of priority and cleaning out closets to make room for everything I need to buy. I figure I will try and spread all the supplies all over the house.
I have some bottles I need to get cleaned and filled with water.
And I am trying to get ahead on the kids until studies since we are homeschooling. Right now I only have 2 weeks worth together so I am going to try to add another week to that over the weekend.
I cleaned out the cabinets last night and actually have more canned goods then I previously thought so I am a little further ahead.
Hubby is suppose to go to the garage for me this weekend and make a list of all the camping supplies we have so I know what else to add to the list.
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Posted By: Guests
Date Posted: March 24 2006 at 9:40am
| Taking a down day today....rest and relaxation....then for the weekend...more to organize and laundry,to be put away |
Posted By: libbyalex
Date Posted: March 24 2006 at 9:45am
| Did a late night run to the grocery store last night. Got more canned goods, syrup, juice, tuna, etc. Now I have to put it all away as I can't get to my microwave. May take kiddo and head to the pet store later today. He loves to look at the fish and lizards and I can have a chance to get more cat litter, cat food, and maybe even fish antibiotics (don't have fish, but the antibiotics are supposed to be the same grade that we use). Prep on folks! |
Posted By: MasterGuard
Date Posted: March 24 2006 at 1:40pm
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Ordering more Antibiotics to stock pile just in case ------------- Live like there is no tomorrow |
Posted By: libbyalex
Date Posted: March 24 2006 at 1:41pm
| MasterGuard -- where are you ordering from and do you need a prescription? -- Libby |
Posted By: Daydreamer
Date Posted: March 24 2006 at 10:41pm
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Just came back from a run to Sams Club. Purchased tuna, canned chicken, canned salmon, Spam, DAK canned hams, 50 lbs. beans, 50 lbs. rice, 25 lbs. sugar, 50 lbs. flour, 16 lbs. salt, 16 lbs. egg noodles, instant oatmeal, various spices, some honey, 10 pack of beef ravioli, some toothbrushes, hand sanitizer, aspirins, allergy med, and other things that I have forgotten. We also bought four cases of veggies, some fruit and fruit juice, tea bags, and a case of evaporated milk from Save A Lot today. It's been a long day but I feel better that we have these preps stocked up. I'll have to date it all and get it put up tomorrow. ------------- Don't put off tomorrow what you can PREP today |
Posted By: Amethyst
Date Posted: March 25 2006 at 12:58pm
| Bought a small tent today (my first, actually). Practiced putting it up at home. Since I have nowhere but inside to put it up, I did everything but pound the stakes in. I hope to not have to use it for an emergency, but you never know. |
Posted By: Guests
Date Posted: March 25 2006 at 3:05pm
I just got back..did not have much to spend today but our dollar store has veggie garden seeds on for 3/1.00 so I picked up some of those and i got another 4 bottles of lamp oil...more zip lock bags I have corn meal to do up(yes Rone Zip Lock women here)...I am in Canada and we cannot buy things like yea all down south...and I live in goomerville (a place way far away from civilization)  I have to drive 2 hours to get to the nearest wal-mart...ok I also got hiar ties I have very long hair..and have started to stock a few of those but I think once TSHTF...I will cut it all off
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Posted By: Guests
Date Posted: March 25 2006 at 4:36pm
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Just got back from a buying run. Finally got an inflatable pool w/cover for $90, holds 1000 gallons. This has been one of the big ones on my list, very glad I can finally scratch that off. Went to th $.99 store and got a bunch of pest control stuff, some more canned goods, a rope for laundry, some assorted odds and ends.
I checked out a restaurant supply store today and got DEHYDRATED BLACK BEANS!!! Yeah!! They have all kinds of goodies, which you don't find in a retail store at all. Would highly recommend that everybody see if they have one in their area.
Now where am I going to stash all this stuff???????????????
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Posted By: RebeccaS
Date Posted: March 25 2006 at 4:38pm
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I just got back from walmart and i was surprised to see they were almost completely sold out of bleach and bottled water. Am I reading to much into this? ------------- -SCARED IN CONNECTICUT |
Posted By: HOPEFLOATS
Date Posted: March 25 2006 at 5:06pm
| I didnt have much to spend today but picked up some of the country style gravy mix and a bottle of honey at the bread store. Filled a couple more bottles of water. Hubby actually told me today that come Monday he wants me to sell a few of his stocks and go buy a bunch of preps to get us farther along. We are right over a week on preps so have a long ways to go. But to hear he is taking this more seriously helps me feel not so crazy LOL |
Posted By: willow41
Date Posted: March 25 2006 at 5:16pm
| Yeah, I think you guys are reading too much into the bottled water and bleach thing. We have a Super Walmart, regular Walmart, and Meijers all within the same town. It's the weekend, they are always really low on water, and everything else in the grocery section. |
Posted By: Guests
Date Posted: March 25 2006 at 10:32pm
| Where did you find Hamburgher Helper? I was looking for some in Safeway and the clerk told me she thought they didn't make it anymore. |
Posted By: HOPEFLOATS
Date Posted: March 25 2006 at 10:50pm
| I buy hamburger helper at the Super K and Super Walmart. The local grocery stores here also carries it. |
Posted By: Guests
Date Posted: March 26 2006 at 3:56am
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Hello everyone out there in cyber land!!
I am a Peak Oiler and just found this link on po forum
Have been putting together food storage etc, for just over one year now.
Have about 12 months on hand.
What I did today for my preparations was to prepare some pots for my papaya seeds i'm planting tomorrow, and washed up the dozen Valco preserving jars i scored at the local thrift shop for $10.
Btw, Biggest problem for me has always been weevil/pantry moths.
Just wanted to share 3 methods used for dealing with them
1. Diatomacious Earth (DE)
2. Pantry traps using a pheremone lure and sticky paper
3. Freezing
I buy items 1 and 2 at our organic seed supply place or local health food shop. Pantry traps work amazingly well.
The DE is organic, and we stick this in with our bulk wheat, beans, rice that is decanted into jars.
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Posted By: Amethyst
Date Posted: March 26 2006 at 6:23am
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I am practicing using my sterno stove today. Just want to see how long it takes to get a small pot of water heated up to be able to use with instant coffee or something. Edit: Didn't take long. It wasn't boiling, but it was hot enough for coffee. I was afraid for a few moments that I wasn't going to be able to extinguish the sterno, but water did the trick. I've gone through one fire before due to a suicidal housemate and I really don't want to go through another one, so that is one big fear of mine. But I am slowly getting over it.
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Posted By: Daydreamer
Date Posted: March 26 2006 at 9:34am
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I'm cleaning up some jars that had been given to me. I am going to store some rice and pasta in the jars that I have available. These are not canning jars but rather spaghetti sauce jars and such. ------------- Don't put off tomorrow what you can PREP today |
Posted By: roxy
Date Posted: March 26 2006 at 10:40am
| amethyst , put the top back on the sterno to close offf the oxygen, or you can use a plate roxxy |
Posted By: Amethyst
Date Posted: March 26 2006 at 10:40am
| At the moment, I'm soaking beans. I'm going to try making soup with them tonight for supper. |
Posted By: Amethyst
Date Posted: March 26 2006 at 10:52am
Yeah, but I was using a folding stove and there was no way to put it on without potentially burning my fingers in the process. But the water worked.
This was a learning experience for me. I don't think sterno will be a good long-term solution. There's got to be something better out there. I'm not too keen on storing propane inside my apartment, though.
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Posted By: Guests
Date Posted: March 26 2006 at 11:17am
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With the latest activity I pulled the trigger and purchased the Coleman
folding stove at Walmart. $58. I chose the dual stove (burns Coleman
Fuel and Unleaded Gas). I figure I can always siphon unleaded gas from
an abandoned car or my own if my supply of gas runs out. Also purchased
some extra manltes for my lanterns and a pump repair kit for the same.
I did purchase an adapter kit for the stove so I can also run it on
propane. 4 months supplies for a family of five but I do not think it
is enough. Waiting to pull the trigger on Wheat and Rice which should
get me another 3 months or so. Also purchased more vitamins for the
kids today. Thats it for purchases today. |
Posted By: Guests
Date Posted: March 26 2006 at 11:25am
Try metal kitchen tongs.
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Posted By: Daydreamer
Date Posted: March 26 2006 at 11:38am
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Scott, just wanted you to know that I deleted your duplicate post. Wasn't sure if you even knew you posted it twice.
I was going to say that my hubby has decided we should get that same dual fuel Coleman stove for the exact same reasons that you mentioned Scott. We will be getting that this week with payday.
I just sliced up some oranges to put on the dehydrator. I may pick up some more this week at the store, as well as some bananas and apples. We love banana chips. And the apples, we put a little cinnamon and sugar on them before drying. They are a really tasty, healthy snack. ------------- Don't put off tomorrow what you can PREP today |
Posted By: Scott
Date Posted: March 26 2006 at 12:01pm
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Thanks Daydreamer for the edit. The dual fuel lantern is also something we purchased, about 4 mo. ago. Something to consider for the same reasons. We are looking at this like going camping for 8 months but our house is our tent. Well, my wife thinks I turned it into a fortress, anyway......  I also saw a great little vacuum sealer for food at Walmart range in price from $36 to $124. I don't need it, but you mentioned food. It was in the blender isle. How well does your dehydrator work and which model/make do you prefer? Thank in advance. ------------- As the Dark Horse Approaches. Improvise Adapt and Overcome! |
Posted By: Daydreamer
Date Posted: March 26 2006 at 12:44pm
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My dehydrator is a Magic Chef brand. It's a round one and we bought it used at a yard sale for like $5. It has worked well for over two years. The only thing I don't like is that you have to remember to rotate the trays because they dry at different rates if you don't.
I still need to purchase a vacuum sealer so I'm going to check our local Wal-Mart super center. Thanks for the heads up on that. ------------- Don't put off tomorrow what you can PREP today |
Posted By: Guests
Date Posted: March 26 2006 at 3:51pm
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I planted tomatoes, zuccinni, onions, corn, beans, etc. Also some herbs in pots. |
Posted By: Amethyst
Date Posted: March 26 2006 at 5:01pm
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I made soup with preps -- a package of soup mix with dehydrated beans and barley, a can of mushrooms, and chicken boullion for flavor. Wasn't too bad, actually. I had to soak the beans for several hours, though. |
Posted By: kittles
Date Posted: March 26 2006 at 5:22pm
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Put up another 50 gallons of water today,worked all day organizing and inventoring. What a job! We bought some rubbermaid bins to store all the disposables that have been sitting in living room in huge boxes for a week!
Got them all situated...Here is a pic of our westie decked out for the bird flu....thought we all could use a chuckle!
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